(Updated Monday, 7:19 p.m., with latest KDHE/CCHD statistics)
The City-Cowley County Health Department announced five additional cases of COVID-19 since Friday, according to a news release Monday morning.
Of the five, four are cases within Cowley County, while the fifth is a case involving a woman who was exposed outside the county and returned ill. The cases were discovered via disease investigation, contact tracing and testing efforts.
Four cases are all related to the case that was reported on Friday.
At the time, it was thought the person who tested positive Friday had not traveled outside the county, but Cowley County Public Health Officer Thomas Langer told KSOK-NewsCow Monday that the health department is continuing to investigate that individual’s travel history.
Additional testing is ongoing and additional cases are expected to be found.
The City-Cowley County Health Department has tested 630 people as of Monday since March.
Cowley County has a population of 34,908 people as of July 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Langer said more testing equipment is expected to be sent to Cowley County from the State Health Department within the next 24-48 hours.
The mobility of people within the county and interactions in all communities places the entire county at risk for infection, according to the health department.
Currently three local employers are responding with the health department in efforts to identify, isolate, and test employees who may have been exposed through worksites in order to control any further spread of the virus.
Those employers were not named, however, Langer said none of the new cases are connected to Creekstone Farms Premium Beef — a meat processing plant in Ark City. One employee tested positive there in early May, but no additional cases there have been reported since.
Langer said indications are that this current outbreak is associated an individual who traveled to a party in Ford County with widespread COVID-19 infection ongoing.
According to the latest report from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment released Monday afternoon, Ford County — which hosts National Beef in Dodge City — has the most cases in the state with 1,790.
It is not known to KSOK-NewsCow if the individual who traveled to Ford County had any association with National Beef.
On Sunday, Langer was contacted by a local hospital and informed of an additional positive COVID-19 test result. This case involves an older adult female that went to visit an ill child in another Kansas community.
While there, she was exposed to the virus.
She returned to Cowley County, became ill and then went to a hospital for help. She and an additional family member are now under quarantine in their home.
The new cases of COVID-19 bring current active cases to six in Cowley County.
Since a national emergency proclamation was issued by the White House on March 13, the City-Cowley County Health Department has now confirmed 12 positive cases, but two of those cases involved individuals who either live out of the county or have dual-residency in another county. Those records have been transferred to their respective county health departments and the official count for Cowley County is now 10.
An Ark City man who tested positive April 1 died a week later and remains the only death in the county connected to the virus.
Langer said he expects case numbers to increase in the county.
Kansas has surpassed 10,000 cases according to Monday’s KDHE report.
Officially, there are 10,011 positive cases of COVID-19 across the state, 862 hospitalizations, 217 deaths, and 93,301 negative tests.
KDHE updates its numbers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The state of Oklahoma stopped releasing overall state numbers as of May 31 and are now only reporting county cases. At last count, 6,573 cases were reported statewide in Oklahoma.
Kay County, Oklahoma, reports 54 cases and remains at seven deaths.
All residents are reminded to take all the required precautions to prevent the spread of illness and to exercise caution when interacting in public situations.
Friday, the City-Cowley County Health Department announced it was moving to Phase 3 of the state’s guidance plan.
Phase 3 allows for:
• Churches can reopen and in person services can resume
• Funeral services can be held
• Weddings and special gathering events can be held
• Local graduations can occur (within the stated limits)
• Businesses such as bars and other event venues can open
• Summer Camps can be held
• Swimming Pools may open
• Outdoor athletics may begin
• Local park events music, movies etc.
All other conditions and guidelines within the Ad Astra plan for Phase 3 should be followed including social distancing, personal health protections and travel restrictions when traveling outside Cowley County.
The expansion of activities in Cowley County will be monitored closely, Langer said Friday.
“The health department will react if illness erupts and is traced to this expanded social activity” he said. “It is extremely important that everyone understands that we are not risk free nor will we be for the foreseeable future.
“If you are physically compromised or at risk do not engaged in increased activities. Most importantly, if you are ill or have symptoms or illness, stay home! Contact your health care provider or the health department and be tested.”
